Thill-support.



E. F. HOFFMAN.

THILL SUPPORT.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 28, 1910.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

EDWARD F. HOFFMAN, 0F GLANDORF, OHIO.

THILL-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

Application filed November 28, 1910. Serial No. 594,515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Glandorf, in the county of Putnam and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Supports, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention is an improved thill support for supporting the thills orshafts of a buggy or other vehicle in raised position, the object of theinvention being to provide an improved device of this character whichmay be readily attached to a vehicle body and to the cross bar of a pairof thills, and which may be readily adjusted to any desired height andwhich is moreover readily and easily operated so as not only to supportthe thills in an elevated position when required, but also to readilydisengage the thills and permit them to be lowered.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangementof devices, hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of a portionof the body of a vehicle and of a pair of thills provided with myimproved thill supporting devices showing the thills raised and thecatch in engaged position. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the sameshowing the thills in the act of being raised, and also in dotted lines,showing the hook in disengaged position, and the thills in the act ofbeing lowered. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, and partly a plan.

In the embodiment of my invention, I provide a spring arm or link 1which has one end connected to the cross bar 2 of a pair of thills orshafts 3 by means of a spring clamp l. The other end of the said springlink is turned at right angles to form a hook 5.

In one corner of the box or body 6 of the vehicle I secure the lower endof a perpendicular rod or support 7 on which slides a collar 8, the saidcollar having an opening for the reception of the said rod 7 and beingprovided with a set screw 9 to engage the said rod so that the saidcollar may be secured to the said rod at any desired verticaladjustment. The front side of the said collar is concave, as at 10 sothat the same presents a hollow curved surface to bear against andreceive that portion of the dashboard 11 which is around the frame orend portion of the dashboard frame.- From the outer end of the collar 8projects a stud 12 which carries a catch 13. The said catch is disposedlongitudinally with respect to the body of the vehicle,vand slightly toone side arm is depressed. At the rear, end of the said forwardlyextending arm 1 is a shoulder 17 forming the front wall of a downwardlyand forwardly directed notch 18, the rear wall of which is formed by thefront sideof the rearwardly extending arm 15. Said arm 15, whichtogether with the rear portion of the arm '14 projects above the stud 12presents on its rear and lower side a downwardly and forwardly extendingcurved cam surface 19.

Assuming that the collar 8 has been properly adjusted, when the thillsare raised the hook 5 of the spring link 1 engages the front depressedportion of the catch 13 and slides upwardly and rearwardly on thesurface 16 thereof until it reaches the notch 18, into which it dropsthereby causing the spring link by reason of the engagement of its hookwith the notch of the catch, to support and hold the thills in elevatedposition. When it is desired to lower the thills, they are first raisedto a slightly higher extent, thus causing the hook 5 to slide upwardlyand rearwardly on the inclined surface which forms the rear wall of thenotch 18, and as the hook leaves the said notch it engages the rear side19 of the arm 15 of the catch, and thereupon the thills may be lowered,the hook, by reason of the elasticity of the spring, link 1, slidingdownwardly and forwardly under the surface l9 of the catch, while thethills are being lowered.

By vertically adjusting the catch 13 upon the supporting rod 7 andproperly disposing the spring arm 1 on the connecting bar 2 forengagement with said catch, the thills may be supported at any desiredelevation.

It will be understood from the foregoing that my improved devices serveto automatically lock and support the thills when the latter are raisedto an appropriate height,

and also serve to automatically disengage the thills and permit the sameto be lowered, no attention whatever being required to my supporting andlocking devices, it being only necessary when desired to lower thethills to first raise them slightly and right of the vehicle, a studformed on said collar and extended from one side thereof, a horizontallydisposed catch member mounted on the said stud and terminating inoppositely disposed arms, one of said arms being formed to provide anotch adapted to receive the hook of said spring arm to support saidthills, said catch having oppositely curved guiding surfaces adapted tobe alternately engaged by said hook upon raising and lowering of saidthills for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses. EDWARD F. HOFFMAN. Witnesses:

LOUIS F. HOFFMAN, ALBERT G. HOFFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

